Plurilingual education portal

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Starting activity

Watch the following video, which explains the concept of mediation:

Mediacion

Next, ask yourself a few questions:

What did you learn about the concept of mediation?
Given the examples provided, why is this skill important in foreign language teaching?
Is it possible for you to practice it during your classes? Why (or why not)?

Objectives

At the end of this section, you should be able to…

define mediation in general, and interlinguistic mediation more specifically;
distinguish between mediation of production, interaction, and (inter)comprehension;
explain how different forms of mediation (including translation) work
analyze mediation skills in specific tasks;
list criteria for creating mediation tasks and for assessing mediation skills
identify the role of mediation in the development of language skills.

Keywords

Mediation, plurilinguism, strategies, tasks

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its Companion Volume (2020) can help you better understand the specific nature of mediation skills.

Introduction

In our plurilingual and intercultural societies, linguistic mediation, whether inter- or intralinguistic, plays a fundamental role in developing learners' communication skills. It is no longer just a question of mastering one or more target languages in isolation, but of mobilizing the entire linguistic and semiotic repertoire to co-construct meaning, facilitate (inter)comprehension, and build bridges between languages, cultures, and interlocutors. More specifically, situations that promote the mobilization and transfer of interlinguistic knowledge become learning opportunities, as they allow learners to exploit their prior linguistic and cultural knowledge in a holistic and integrated way.

Furthermore, recognizing and valuing the diversity of learners' linguistic repertoires not only helps to boost their confidence, but also promotes an inclusive and dynamic approach to language teaching. This perspective encourages teaching approaches that value inter- and intralinguistic mediation, in which languages, registers, and variations are not compartmentalized but constantly interact in the service of communication, mutual understanding and learning.

In this Wikiversity lesson, we will explore the concept of mediation. We will present a brief interdisciplinary history of the concept, followed by recent developments in plurilingual education. For this, a comparison with other concepts, such as intercomprehension and interproduction, is necessary. The last part will be devoted to issues surrounding the creation and implementation of interlinguistic mediation tasks and the challenges posed by the assessment of these bi/plurilingual tasks.

History of the concept

The concept of mediation is not new. The term “conflict mediation” is often used, for example, when referring to the reconciliation of two (seemingly) divergent positions. In intercultural studies, authors examine specific situations, particularly misunderstandings arising from perceived cultural differences, where interlocutors must negotiate a basis for agreement, mitigate potential conflicts, etc. (Stalder & Tonti, 2014). Teaching and learning situations are also known for moments of pedagogical, cognitive, and relational mediation, as shown, for example, by the concepts of the “zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky, 1986), scaffolding (Wood, Bruner & Ross, 976), and remediation (Van Lier, 1988). In all these cases, mediation involves the co-construction of an interactional space, in formal or informal learning spaces, and mediation strategies are necessary to build shared communication and learning expectations (Araújo e Sá, De Carlo & Melo-Pfeifer, 2019). In the words of Coste and Cavali, mediation involves “reducing the distance between two poles” (2015, p. 12).

In language teaching and plurilingual education, 2001 was a revolutionary year for the introduction of the concept of mediation into the specific vocabulary of this discipline. In 2001, mediation was included in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to indicate communicative language activities that are not covered by isolated reception and production. This document states that “[t]hose with some knowledge, even slight, may use it to help those with none to communicate by mediating between individuals with no common language. In the absence of a mediator, such individuals may nevertheless achieve some degree of communication by bringing the whole of their linguistic equipment into play, experimenting with alternative forms of expression in different languages or dialects, exploiting paralinguistics (mime, gesture, facial expression, etc.) and radically simplifying their use of language.” (2001, p. 4-5)

The same document considers that teaching and learning interlinguistic mediation are important because “mediating language activities – (re)processing an existing text – occupy an important place in the normal linguistic functioning of our societies.” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 14). Two types of mediation are mentioned: translation (written) and interpretation (oral), alongside summarizing and rephrasing (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 87; see also De Carlo, 2012). Although the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2001) presented mediation as an important aspect of language proficiency, it did not provide any illustrative descriptors, which in some ways blocked or delayed its inclusion in school curricula, at least in certain national contexts. As early as 2018, in the first version of the Companion Volume, mediation saw its scope broadened to encompass intra- and interlinguistic mediation. The focus is on the learner as a social actor, the role of language in processes such as creating a space and conditions conducive to communication and/or learning, collaborating to construct new meaning, encouraging others to construct or understand new meaning, and transmitting new information in an appropriate form. Without going into detail, the Companion Volume proposes new descriptors related to the parallel use of languages and the ability of language users to act as interlinguistic mediators and to mix, integrate, and alternate languages. In this document, mediation is defined as follows:

In mediation, the user/learner acts as a social agent who creates bridges and helps to construct or convey meaning, sometimes within the same language, sometimes from one language to another (cross-linguistic mediation). (Council of Europe, 2018, p. 103).

This document distinguishes between three types of mediation:

Mediating a text: transferring information to someone who does not have access to the original text due to linguistic, cultural, or social barriers.
Mediating concepts: related to the pedagogical aspects of mediation, the scales relevant to this category refer to educational areas that require interaction management, collaboration to construct meaning, facilitation of collaborative interactions, among others.
Mediating communication: a process aimed at facilitating understanding between participants, for example in cases of tension or disagreement.

In language teaching and plurilingual education, the type of mediation most commonly considered, particularly in research on the concept, is “mediating a text”, as demonstrated by the METLA project (Stathopoulou et al, 2023). In addition, the authors of this project, funded by the European Centre for Modern Languages, consider that interlinguistic mediation:

always occurs in a social context, a “social practice” in which language users engage when there is a communication gap (i.e., a lack of understanding of the other language);
is an intentional activity that always serves a communicative purpose and can achieve that purpose by taking into account the context of the situation (who is writing/speaking to whom), for what purpose, etc.

Conceptual differences: mediation, comprehension, production, interaction, and mutual understanding

As mentioned above, there are two types of mediation:

Intralinguistic mediation, which consists of rephrasing, summarizing, explaining, or adapting content in the same language in order to facilitate understanding or access to information for a third party. Typical examples of this type of mediation include synopses of films or novels, meeting reports, book summaries, or even reformulation processes within a production or interaction activity (often preceded by specific markers such as namely, in other words, let's say, in short, among other things).
Interlinguistic mediation is a type of mediation that involves at least two different languages. It consists of transmitting, reformulating, or adapting content from one language to another (or others) in order to make it understandable to someone who does not speak the original language. In language teaching, mediation refers to a process by which an individual facilitates understanding, communication, or learning between two (or more) people, groups, or texts, often in situations where there is a linguistic, cultural, or cognitive barrier.

The following diagram explains interlinguistic mediation:

Interlinguistic mediation differs in that it occurs in a multilingual interaction situation (synchronous or asynchronous), unlike reception and production, which in foreign language teaching are traditionally and by definition monolingual situations.

The similarities between mediation and intercomprehension are more complex. The relationship between these two concepts has been widely debated in the context of intercomprehension research (see Castellotti, 2007, Tavares, 2007, Degache & Gabarino, 2017). Indeed, both processes are placed in the context of plurilingual interactions. If we take a fixed conception of intercomprehension that is now outdated, it would be easy to distinguish between the two concepts, given that plurilingual interaction can be summarized in the following basic diagram:

However, numerous analyses of discourse produced in real-life contexts of plurilingual interaction (Araújo e Sá, & Melo, 2006; Lüdi, 2024; Capucho, 2018; Capucho, Silva & Chenoll, 2018) reveal that within these interactions, speakers often resort to activities of (re)mediation of interlinguistic conflicts or misunderstandings. These activities cover both intralinguistic mediation processes (when the speaker reformulates their statement in their language to make it clearer for an interlocutor who does not necessarily speak their language) and interlinguistic mediation processes, during numerous moments of translanguaging, whether spontaneous or requested by the interlocutor. Interproduction is therefore often evidence of mediation processes, because, during moments of production, the speaker makes strategic choices to adapt their speech to the difficulties they perceive or sense in their interlocutor.

Mediation is therefore an essential skill in foreign language communication, whether monolingual or plurilingual. It helps to overcome potential conflicts in negotiating meaning, while paving the way for successful intercultural and human encounters.

[1] It should be noted, however, that in plurilingual communication situations, speaker 1 may assume the role of speaker 2, repeating the message in another language as part of a continuous process of translanguaging. (cf. Lüdi, 2014: 20–24).

Interlinguistic mediation tasks

In their analysis of interlinguistic mediation tasks in textbooks, Melo-Pfeifer and Schröder-Sura (2018) conclude that instructions are often vague, stereotypical, and likely to create ambiguity, particularly with regard to the choice or use of language. As the authors note,

in these cases of exolingual communication, the student is placed in the position of an expert, (...), with no resources other than their [linguistic] knowledge; on the other hand, their interlocutor is placed in a situation of total or partial incomprehension, using phrases such as: “he doesn't understand very well” (Figure 1). In addition, "it is a question of mediating between a native speaker of the target language (or an authentic document in the target language) and a native speaker of the source language/second language, which, once again, does not exhaust the contexts in which mediation is required in real life: mediation can be done in an exolingual/endolingual situation where all interlocutors speak French as the target language, for example. (Melo-Pfeifer and Schröder-Sura, 2018, n. p).

These initial observations lead us to propose a list of criteria for the construction of interlinguistic mediation tasks, as suggested by the authors of the METLA project (Stathopoulou et al., 2023):

Integrate learners' family languages as valuable resources for constructing meaning, communicating, and promoting identity.
Include the intercultural and multicultural dimension, particularly through the recognition and integration of family languages and cultures, in order to promote inclusive approaches that are sensitive to local contexts.
Create dynamic communication situations where expertise changes hands, is designed to be dynamic and is co-constructed.
Integrate gestures, multimodality, and various media to reflect the real communication practices in which learners are engaged.
Ensure the authenticity of tasks by anchoring them in meaningful and holistic communication situations.
Encourage the use of strategies aimed at constructing meaning and facilitating interaction by providing examples of strategies.
Develop specific mediation strategies among learners to enable them to relay information, simplify complex ideas, or negotiate meaning between languages and cultures.
Promote learners' reflexivity by encouraging them to reflect on the effectiveness and results of the mediation strategies they use.
Diversify text types to expose learners to a variety of discourse types and communicative intentions.
Provide transparent and realistic assessment criteria that are less focused on linguistic and formal correctness alone and more aligned with real-life mediation tasks (pragmatic goals, successful communication, etc.).

Assessment of interlinguistic mediation skills

The need to assess interlinguistic mediation skills is fully in line with the requirements of contemporary plurilingual societies. As Gorter and Cenoz (2017, p. 43) point out, “teaching is moving towards a multilingual focus, and assessment should also follow the same path.” From this perspective, assessing interlinguistic mediation skills would be in line with the need to analyze current plurilingual teaching practices (Melo-Pfeifer & Ollivier, 2025).

Indeed, changes in language teaching practices, particularly through plurilingual practices, naturally call for an evolution in assessment methods (Dendrinos, 2019). Based on the new scales of the CEFR Companion Volume (CEFR-CV), and taking into account the cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical specificities of the local context (such as the languages present, the needs and interests of learners, etc.), it is possible to design appropriate tools for assessing mediation skills. Assessing mediation through specific tasks can become a continuous learning experience for students, in line with formative assessment or “assessment for learning.” Teachers are encouraged to provide learners with opportunities to reflect on their mediation skills and strategies and to assess them as an integral part of their lifelong learning journey. The METLA team (Stathopoulou et al., 2023) proposes that learners' plurilingual competence can be assessed through interlinguistic mediation tasks, such as:

summarizing oral or written information heard or read in one language, then presenting it orally or in writing in another language, adapting the discourse and/or genre of the original text as necessary to suit the intended purpose of communication;
using information from different sources in different languages to produce an oral or written text. Language production may be bilingual or trilingual, and students' responses may draw on several languages, including their native language(s).

Take-home messages

Language mediation is essential for developing learners' communication skills in plurilingual and intercultural societies. It involves mobilizing the entire linguistic and semiotic repertoire in order to co-construct meaning, facilitate mutual understanding, and build bridges between languages, cultures, and interlocutors.
Mediation, initially linked to conflict resolution and pedagogy, was officially integrated into language teaching with the CEFR in 2001. It is defined as a natural communicative act, covering translation, interpretation, summarizing, and rephrasing, and its scope was expanded in the 2018 Companion Volume to include intra- and interlinguistic mediation.
A distinction is made between intralinguistic mediation (within the same language, through reformulation, summarization, or explanation) and interlinguistic mediation (between several languages, through transmission or adaptation of content). Mediation differs from simple reception or production, as it occurs in plurilingual contact situations and aims to overcome linguistic, cultural, or cognitive barriers.
Mediation tasks should be based on communicative situations and authentic needs, incorporate a wide variety of materials and texts, and include key moments for reflection on the value of the strategies used.
The assessment of interlinguistic mediation meets the needs of plurilingual societies and must evolve towards plurilingual assessment practices. It aims to measure learners' ability to relay information between languages, texts, and contexts, and to encourage formative, continuous assessment that is integrated into the learning process, mobilizing several languages and adapting discourse according to communication objectives.

Self-assessment

Resources to go further

Dendrinos, B. (Ed.) (2024). Mediation as Negotiation of Meanings, Plurilingualism and Language Education. Routledge.
Melo-Pfeifer, S., & Ollivier, C. (2025). Assessing the plurilingual competence and plurilingual individuals’ skills and knowledge: similarities and divergences. Frontiers of Communication, 10:1498940. Doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1498940.
Piccardo, E., & North, B. (2019). The Action-oriented Approach: A Dynamic Vision of Language Education. Multilingual Matters.
Stathopoulou M. (2015). Cross-language mediation in foreign language teaching and testing. Multilingual Matters.
Zarate, G., Gohard-Radenkovic, A., Lussier, D., & Penz, H. (2003). Médiation culturelle et didactique des langues. Editions du Conseil de L’Europe.

Bibliography

Araujo e Sá, M. H., & Melo, S. (2006). Del caos a la creatividad: los chats entre lingüistas y didactas. Estudios de lingüística del español, 24. http://elies.rediris.es/elies24/araujo.htm

Araújo e Sá, M., de Carlo, M., & Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2019). Mediation(s) in an on-line, multilingual teacher education environment. Indagatio Didactica, 11(4), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.34624/id.v11i4.10585.

Blume, O.-M., Gregor, G., Jorißen, C. & Mann-Grabowski, C. (2012). À plus ! 1 Nouvelle édition. Französisch für Gymnasien (livre de l’élève). Cornelsen.

Capucho, F. (2018). Plurilingual interactions – the role of interproduction strategies. In Marianne Hepp – Martina Nied Curcio (eds.), Educazione plurilingue: ricerca, didattica e politiche linguistiche (pp. 157 – 166). Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici.

Capucho, F. Silva, M. P. & Chenoll, A., (2018). Co-constructing meaning in international meetings - an approach to plurilingual interactions, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2018.1474849

Castellotti, V., (2007). L'intercompréhension est-elle soluble dans l'éducation plurilingue ? In Capucho F., A. Alves P. Martins, Ch. Degache & M. Tost (eds.) (2007). Diálogos em Intercompreensão (2e édition – CdRom). (pp. 571 – 584). Universidade Católica.

Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for languages: Learning, eaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press. https://rm.coe.int/1680459f97, accessed 3 November 2025.

Council of Europe (2018). Common European Framework of Reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. URL: https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989

De Carlo, M. (2012). Traduction et médiation dans l'enseignement-apprentissage linguistique. Études de linguistique appliquée, 167(3), 299-311. https://doi.org/10.3917/ela.167.0299.

Degache, Ch. & Gabarino, S. (2017). Jalons, diffusion et itinéraires des approches intercompréhensives. In Ch. Degache & S. Gabarino, (eds.). Itinéraires pédagogiques de l’alternance des langues: l’intercompréhension. (pp. 2-14). ELLUG.

Dendrinos B. (2019). Multilingual testing and assessment for plurilingual education, ECSMP position paper. http://ecspm.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MultiTest.pdf

Lüdi, G. (2014). Le monde économique parle-t-il vraiment anglais? Les pratiques langagières dans le domaine des entreprises . In A-C Berthoud & M. Burger. M (eds.). Repenser le rôle des pratiques langagières dans la constitution des espaces sociaux contemporains (pp. 17-34). Bruxelles: De Boeck.

Melo-Pfeifer, S., & Schröder-Sura, A. (2018). Les tâches de médiation dans les manuels de Français Langue Étrangère pour le secondaire en Allemagne. Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures, 15-3. http://journals.openedition.org/rdlc/3589;+DOI:+https://doi.org/10.4000/rdlc.3589.

Stalder, P., & Tonti, A. (Eds.) (2014). La Médiation (inter)culturelle : représentations, mises en œuvre et développement des compétences. Édition des archives contemporaines.

Stathopoulou, M., Gauci, P., Liontou, M., & Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2023). Mediation in teaching, learning & assessment (METLA): A teaching guide for language educators. European Centre For Modern Languages.

Tavares, C. F. (2007). L'intercompréhension est-elle soluble dans la communication? In F. Capucho, A. Alves de Paula Martins, C. Degache, & M. Tost (eds.). Diálogos em intercompreensão. (pp. 585-596). Universidade Católica Editora.

Van Lier, L. (1988). The Classroom and the Language Learner. New York: Longman.

Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and Language. Revisited Edition.In A. Kozulin (Ed.), MIT, (first edition, 1934)

Wood, D., Bruner, J., & Roos, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89-100.

Educational resources

METLA task database: https://www.ecml.at/en/ECML-Programme/Programme-2020-2023/Mediation-in-teaching-and-assessment/materials

Stathopoulou, M., Gauci, P., Liontou, M., & Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2023). Mediation in teaching, learning & assessment (METLA): A teaching guide for language educators. European Centre For Modern Languages. https://www.ecml.at/Portals/1/documents/ECML-resources/METLA-teaching-guide-EN.pdf

Vetter, E, & Kratochwil, L. (Eds.) (2025). Promouvoir l'éducation plurilingue. Exemples de bonnes pratiques adaptables. https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:2143758

Credits

This resource has been created by Projet PEP (discuss • contribs) (Erasmus+ project, co-financed by the European Commission) :

Filomena Capucho (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer (Universität Hamburg).

	They are too innovative and interactive.
	They are vague and stereotypical.
	They favor the mother tongue too much in foreign language classes.

	Strictly unilingual learning.
	Exclusive use of official languages.
	Use of family languages and multimodality.